A holiday retail therapy guide
The TLDR: Yup, this is our big story for the day coz it’s holiday time! Whether you are buying gifts for others or indulging in a year-end splurge, here is an eclectic list of excellent recommendations from the team and our subscribers.
To pretty up the wardrobe…
- Scarves and shawls are the go-to present for the unimaginative. But Avani—which comes highly recommended by Diwita Mathivanan—has a gorgeous, one-of-a-kind collection. We love their ‘textiles with a conscience’ philosophy and are in shopping lust already.
- Looking for a handbag? Jyotsna Sharma recommends Cord Studio—which offers stylish accessories that won’t break the bank. Shop online or at the store in Delhi and Mumbai.
- Nope, we haven’t forgotten our gentlemen subscribers. Jyotsna is all praise for Andamen: “Their signature is high quality material and craftsmanship and the brand that is proudly Indian.” Warning: The website is a bit glitchy right now.
- Lakshmi Chaudhry has always shopped at The Verandah—which is owned by her friend Neetu Gupta. The real reason: She offers a brillant curation of up-and-coming Indian designers who are stylishly chill, diverse and always body-friendly. But most recently, she asked Neetu to custom-make a bunch of 100% organic clothes for her 13-year old daughter—since India offers next-to-zero options for a girl child whose body is changing. The results have been brilliant (though not cheap a la H&M). OTOH, it’s also a great way to wean your kids off fast fashion at an early age.
To pretty up your home...
- For Christmas candles or just date night at home, Mithil Oswal highly recommends D'Candle Corner for lovely hand-made candles made of soy wax. Also: They are 100% organic.
- Need a stunning wreath or just gorgeous flowers to pretty up a holiday get-together? Akanksha Sharma recommends Shades of Spring.
- Everyone loves Phool for incenses because they are biodegradable, use recycled temple waste, and arrive in gorgeous packaging. Also: They have a Christmas box right now.
- Ananya Rane recommends Eco-Gardening, which has a fab Christmas offer: 100% hand painted terracotta planters with your choice of pretty house plants.
- Inderpreet Kaur Uppal recommends GlassHopper, which has the most stunning pieces of stained glasswork—ranging from earrings to vanity boxes to absolutely stunning genda phool tea lights.
If you have kids...
- Diwita Mathivanan highly recommends The Nestery which has everything a child or parent could possibly need—from toys to eco-diapers to baby clothes.
- Jyotsna Sharma gives five stars to ToddlerBaker in Delhi if you want to keep your kids happy and sugar-free. All the ingredients are seasonal and locally sourced. And all of it is delicious. (Full disclosure: the owner is our executive editor, Sunainaa Chadha).
- As for Sunainaa—who is a bit of an over-achieving, overly selective mom, lol!—she recommends Santa Comes Home for Christmas ornaments and the Pandemic board game (yes, it exists). Though given it’s the 24th, this may be an option only for Bangalore residents..
If you want to curl up with a book...
Our books editor Anushree Kaushal has lots and lots of recommendations for you:
- Indulge your palate: ‘Uparwali Chai: The Indian Art of High Tea’ by Pamela Timms. ‘Desserts for Every Mood’ by Shivesh Bhatia. Or ‘Masala Lab’ by Krish Ashok for those who like their food cooked with scientific precision.
- Sink your teeth into a juicy story: ‘The Impeccable Integrity of Ruby R’ by Moni Mohsin.
- In the mood for self-improvement? ‘Omoiyari: The Japanese Art of Compassion’ by Erin Niimi Longhurst.
- Looking to be one with nature? ‘Every Creature Has a Story: What Science Reveals about Animal Behaviour’ by Janaki Lenin or ‘The Lost Spells’ by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris.
- Want more of the literary greats than just their novels? ‘Mantel Pieces: Royal Bodies and Other Writing’ by Hilary Mantel or ‘The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life’ by John le Carré.
- In the mood for a mystery? ‘Midwinter Murder’ by Agatha Christie or ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ by Richard Osman.
- Want to rest your eyes? Check out these excellent audio books: ‘The Sandman’ by Neil Gaiman, read by a star-studded cast including James MacAvoy, Riz Ahmed, Michael Sheen et al. Or ‘The Midnight Library’ by Matt Haig, read by Carey Mulligan.
PS: Adya Goyal is eyeing the ‘Dishoom’ cookbook she saw on Insta. If this has been a year of loss, Lakshmi Chaudhry recommends two books that helped her process and (at least) take baby steps toward healing in the past: ‘The Brief History of the Dead’ by Kevin Brockmeier and, of course, the always recommended (but absolutely not over-hyped) ‘The Year of Magical Thinking’ by Joan Didion.
The bottomline: As we said at the very top, these are eclectic recommendations and not intended to be an everything-you-need guide. If you want more, we recommend Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan’s brilliant list of everything she bought and loved this year—which we recently featured on splainer. Or Homegrown’s gifting guide which is as comprehensive as it gets.